Holly grevillea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Holly grevillea
Grevillea aquifolium the Grampians, Victoria
Scientific classification
Genus:	Grevillea
Species:	aquifolium
Synonyms
Grevillea variabilis Lindl.

Grevillea aquifolium is a cool plant that grows as a shrub or a scrambling vine. You can find it naturally in parts of South Australia and Victoria. People often call it the holly grevillea, prickly grevillea, or variable prickly grevillea. It likes to grow in woodlands, open forests, and heathlands.

What Does it Look Like?

This plant can look quite different depending on where it grows. It's very adaptable!

Most of the time, Grevillea aquifolium grows as a shrub, usually about 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6 feet) tall. But some plants can reach up to 4 meters (13 feet) high! You might also see it growing flat along the ground.

Its flowers grow in clusters at the end of branches. They look a bit like a toothbrush, which is why they are sometimes called "toothbrush" grevilleas. The flowers are usually red, but sometimes they can be yellowish-green. In South Australia, you can see them bloom from November to March. In the Grampians in Victoria, they flower for longer, from September to April.

The leaves usually have sharp points, a bit like holly leaves. This is where the name "holly grevillea" comes from. However, some plants have leaves with smoother edges.

How it Got its Name

The Grevillea aquifolium was officially named in 1838. An English botanist named John Lindley described it. He wrote about it in his book, Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia.

The plant material he studied was collected by an explorer named Thomas Mitchell. Mitchell found it at Mount William in the Grampians. Mitchell thought the plant was "remarkable" because its leaves looked like European holly, but they were also soft and fuzzy.

Where it Grows Naturally

Grevillea aquifolium lives in the southeast of South Australia and western Victoria.

In South Australia, you can find small groups of these plants in places like Carpenter Rocks, Bucks Lake Game Reserve, and West Dairy Range.

In Victoria, it grows in the Grampians area. It also spreads north to the Little Desert and near the south coast at Kentbruck Heath, close to Portland. It often grows near trees like Eucalyptus baxteri, Eucalyptus obliqua, Eucalyptus willisii, and Callitris rhomboidea.

Sometimes, this plant mixes with other Grevillea species. For example, you might find natural mixes (called hybrids) with Grevillea microstegia near Mount Cassel and with Grevillea montis-cole near Mount William.

How it Helps Nature

Birds are thought to be the main helpers for Grevillea aquifolium when it comes to spreading pollen. This process is called pollination. Bees and ants might also help a little bit.

Growing This Plant at Home

Many people like to grow Grevillea aquifolium in their gardens. Different types of this plant have been taken from places like Carpenter Rocks, Cooack, Halls Gap, Kenbruck Heath, Lake Wartook, Little Desert, Mount William, and Serra Road.

There's even a special type called 'Copper Crest'. It's a mix of G. aquifolium and G.acanthifolia. This plant was chosen in Montrose, Victoria, in 1975, and you can buy it in nurseries.

If you want to grow Grevillea aquifolium, it likes a spot where the water drains away easily. It also prefers lots of sunshine or a little bit of shade. Once the plants are grown, they don't need much water and can handle some frost. However, they don't like too much humidity. You can start new plants by taking cuttings from parts of the plant that are partly grown.

See also

In Spanish: Grevillea aquifolium para niños